Parasomnia

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warnings: Language, blood, eventually yaoi. Most of my information comes from Wikipedia and other websites, so if some of this information is wrong, please tell me so I can fix it. Also, this story is not meant to offend, insult, or make fun of anyone.

Beta-ed by Akiru chan, who told me to take a break and work on my other ItaNaru fic and who is always awesome and encouraging. Give her hugs and love her.

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Mentions of KakaIru but don’t dwell on it.

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Shadows rule over the night, it is a simple fact that cannot be argued. They watch everything that happens from within the cracks and crevices. They know what occurs in the dead of night. They are unstoppable since they cannot be harmed, yet they are of no threat. Shadows cannot speak, and therefore, they cannot tell of all the dangerous and horrible things they have seen in the night.

And shadows offer protection. They guard and protect those who wish to not be found and silently watch them from their spots. As the night passes, they move ever so slowly, creeping down the hallways and casting their dark presence on whoever wishes to be hidden away.

Even those who do not wish it.

‘There was an odd calling that couldn’t be resisted and he found himself walking down the clean, sterile hallways. Whatever it was that was calling him, it wouldn’t stop until the desire was fulfilled and it settled uncomfortably in his stomach. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn’t push aside the feeling that was calling him. The mind was fogged, but the days past events were still fresh in the mind, constantly reminding him of an unfinished job.

The hand clenched gently as if trying to hold something, but the mind realized there was nothing there and in its current state, it didn’t wish to retrieve the thing it needed. Instead, it would choose to improvise; there were other ways to accomplish something.

Eyes blinked as they adjusted to the dim lighting that cast his body in the shadows. The opening of the door was the only thing that paused him and after a moment’s hesitation, he moved on. The door was slightly ajar and he slipped inside the room quietly, eyes fixed on a corner. It seemed so familiar; the only thing missing was the weight in his hand that was there last time. The light from the hallway allowed him to make his way to the corner without tripping over anything in the messy room and he finally stopped at the edge of a bed.

With glazed over eyes, he crawled onto the bed and straddled the young teens hips. Yes, there was something familiar about this situation, and there was an irritating buzz in his mind that made him scowl. He leaned in closer to make sure the teen was still asleep, then carefully covered the vulnerable neck with his hands and pressed.

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After a full day of running around with friends, Naruto was quick to drop into an easy sleep. His dreams were light and meant nothing to him as random scenes darted in front of his eyes and changed quickly from one scene to another. His eyes moved slightly as his mind dropped into REM sleep and he rolled onto his back so he could breathe easier. Finally, his dreams settled down and focused on one instead of many.

But what started as a dream, turned into a nightmare halfway through and his body began to thrash under the covers as he fought against an invisible monster for air. He could feel his lungs burning and it was the panic from his mind that finally woke him up.

Only to realize his panic was real.

He blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from his eyes and tried to make out the dark shape hovering over him. The light from the hallway wasn’t giving him much help, but it did give him enough light to figure out the person after staring at them for a while. He struggled to bring his arms up, but they were pinned under the blankets and the person was holding the edges down with their body.

Naruto squirmed and gasped as cold fingers pressed down harder on his throat, making him choke as the pressure increased. His mouth worked to try and get the words out, but they only came out broken and in hoarse tones.

“Ta-chi.”

The glazed over black eyes made him realize that Itachi was still asleep and he tried to call his name again, but it came out as a gasp. His feet gained traction on the sheets and he was able to push his body away from the raven. The hands were still on his neck, but the pressure loosened considerably and he gasped for breath.

Itachi’s body had slumped forward onto his and Naruto guessed that it was momentary confused at the loss of contact. The added weight on his chest did little to help him breathe but he was able to get in several mouthfuls of air as he struggled under the pressure. He fought to bring his arms out from under Itachi’s body and was finally able to free his right arm. The blond continued to move back on the bed but when his head hit the wall, he realized he was out of room; the only hope he had was either stopping Itachi or waking him up.

But his struggling only made Itachi’s mind realize that he was still there. He coughed harshly as the Uchiha started to push down on his throat once again. Naruto brought his arm up and placed his hand on Itachi’s chest, trying to push the older male away but Itachi had the advantage in weight and positioning. Physically, it made it harder for him to push Itachi off then it was for Itachi to push down on the blond.

Naruto’s nails raked into the pale skin, leaving angry red trails in their path but Itachi didn’t blink at the pain and continued his hold on the tanned throat. Black spots edged on Naruto’s vision, making the older male swim in and out of view, and every breath hurt.

“It-chi” He gasped, words coming out in broken whispers. His hand rose to touch Itachi’s face and the raven’s body jerked at the contact but otherwise didn’t stop, “Please.”

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Gaara walked down the hall, sucking on a Popsicle happily. He hadn’t expected it to be that easy to break into the cafeteria, let alone the doctors’ lounge where the better food was kept. It wasn’t gourmet food, but he thought it was defiantly better than what they were severed in the normal line. He had picked up some extra candy for Naruto, knowing that his blond roommate often enjoyed sweets. His walk back was halted when he spied a shadow sneaking down the hall.

He cocked his head and tried to make out the shape of the body. It was too tall to be Naruto, so he knew the blond hadn’t relapsed and he let out a sigh of relief. He followed it down the hall and froze when he heard what sounded like a hiss of pain and struggling. Green eyes peeked around the corner and they widened slightly at the view.

“Kakashi?”

The two figures broke away from each other; one blushed while the other scratched his head. “Gaara, what are you doing up?”

“I was hungry.”

Kakashi eyed the treat in the redheads’ hand, “Where did you get that?”

Gaara sucked on the Popsicle before answering, “The doctors lounge.” His eyes drifted to the other person, “Naruto’s going to have a field day with this.”

There was stuttering behind Kakashi and Gaara smirked slightly at Iruka. Iruka wasn’t his doctor, but he had often seen the man patrolling the hallways at night, but he never thought that he’d be together with the perverted doctor. Yes, Naruto was never going to let them live this down. The blond was always telling them that they needed to get a life outside of their doctoring; he would just never have imagined this possible outcome.

“Gaara, go back to your room and no more breaking into the lounge.”

He shrugged and walked off, leaving the two doctors to their coupling. The Popsicle was now finished and he tossed the stick into a trashcan as he walked back. It was times like these that being an insomniac weren’t that bad; the nightlife was always interesting. He rounded the corner into his room and paused midstride.

Either Itachi and Naruto had become extremely intimate during their day together or Itachi was choking Naruto. He brought his hand up to rub his eyes, making sure that he wasn’t hallucinating. Naruto gasped harshly for breath and Gaara knew he was going to have to settle with the second choice. He rushed over and quickly wrapped his arms around Itachi’s waist trying to pull him off Naruto. He heard the blond suck in air as the hands were pulled away, but Itachi was still heavier than he was.

“Wake him up.” Naruto rasped.

Gaara stared at the blond from over Itachi’s shoulder. He was scared to let go of Itachi since the Uchiha’s hands were still around Naruto’s neck and he was the only thing holding him back. He contemplated running to the bathroom for water, but a cup full of water wasn’t going to be enough to wake him.

Itachi lunged forward, tossing Gaara off the bed due to the sudden change in motion and he hissed when he hit the floor with a loud thump. He scrambled off the ground as Naruto let out a strangled yell and he knew that the raven wasn’t messing around anymore.

Gaara climbed over Itachi and wedged himself in between the raven and wall. Using the wall as leverage, he pushed against it while pressing on Itachi’s shoulder. The quick motion caught Itachi off guard and he tumbled onto the floor, dragging Naruto with him. They landed in a heap on the floor and for a few seconds, neither moved.

Itachi groaned and rubbed his head where it hit the ground, making Gaara sigh in relief; Itachi was awake. His gaze drifted towards Naruto who had collapsed on Itachi’s chest and was unmoving.

“Shit.”

He scrambled off the bed and rolled Naruto onto his back, checking for a pulse and ignoring Itachi. There was a faint beat and he could make out Naruto’s shallow breathing from underneath his nightshirt, but it was short and harsh. The sound of running feet made him jerk his head up and he winced as the lights flooded the room. In the light, he could make out Kakashi and Iruka standing in the doorway looking at him.

“Kakashi, he’s barely breathing.” He cried.

Kakashi was at Naruto’s side in an instant, checking his pulse while telling Iruka to get a stretcher and oxygen. He tilted the blonds’ head back so the airways were open more and a few seconds later Naruto curled up on his side and started coughing harshly. It was the only sound in the room as he fought to get air in his lungs again.

The doctor reached out to pull Naruto into a sitting position and the blond hunched over as he continued to cough. The coughing finally calmed down and Gaara let out a sigh of relief as Naruto sucked in a deep breath. Naruto’s body slumped to the side while his eyes rolled into the back of his, making him land on Kakashi’s shoulder and the doctor checked his pulse again.

“Its okay, his body is just tired.” He said as he watched the movement of Naruto’s chest before glancing in Itachi’s direction. It was easy to figure out what had happened after seeing Itachi’s horror-stricken face and the redness around Naruto’s neck. He ran a hand through the blond hair in an attempt to put Naruto at ease and looked at the tanned neck.

His eyes rose to the door as the stretcher was wheeled into the room. Iruka had a small bottle of oxygen in his hands and he slipped the mask over the blonds face before they carefully placed him on the stretcher and wheeled him out of the room. Gaara and Itachi watched the stretcher vanish and Kakashi stood up, “Both of you will need to make a statement of what happened tonight. Itachi, you’ll be placed on surveillance for the rest of the night.”

The Uchiha barely nodded and Gaara realized that he hadn’t moved for the entire time that he had woken up. He wasn’t great at reading people like Naruto, but he could recognize shock when he saw it and Itachi was defiantly in shock. He stood up and went to sit on his bed after he dimmed the lights.

“Stay here if you don’t wish to go back.” He said, “You try anything to me and I’ll punch you in the face.”

Itachi didn’t say anything and silence settled between the two for the rest of the night.

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He wasn’t sure how long he stared at dresser across the room, but it was the only thing keeping him anchored and awake now. His head pounded from where it hit the ground but he ignored it until it faded into a throbbing ache. It wasn’t until Gaara dimmed the lights that he realized he was shaking and he wanted nothing more than for this to be a bad dream.

But he wasn’t waking up and he knew he was already awake.

Everything was a blur in his mind, almost as if his mind was trying to block out the images of the night and protect his sanity in some way. However, while his sleepwalking stunt was blurred, the after affects weren’t and he could see them running through his memory like a movie. And what he originally thought was a dream, started to piece together into reality and the final horrors settled into his mind.

He had almost killed Naruto.

The thought made bile rise to his mouth and he swallowed harshly. He couldn’t remember wrapping his hands around the blonds’ neck, let alone walking into Naruto’s room, as once again, his subconscious stopped him from remembering. Instead, it forced him to recall the moments after he had woken up.

Itachi had merely thought that he had rolled out of bed when his head hit the floor. When his vision had finally cleared, it focused on the heavy weight that was resting on his chest and his eyes settled on the blond mop of hair that wasn’t moving. Uneasiness raced through him and he waited for Naruto to raise his head and laugh at him for falling off the bed, but when Gaara rolled the blond off him, he knew something was wrong.

It was only then that he realized he wasn’t in his own room and his eyes widened. He pushed himself into a sitting position and tried to calm his breathing down; he couldn’t have relapsed, it wasn’t possible. But hearing the panic in Gaara’s voice as he yelled at Kakashi, it was the only logical answer. The faintest hints of bruising were appearing on Naruto’s neck and he flinched when the blond started to cough nonstop. The sound made him freeze as it tore through his mind and the shaky intake of breath drained his body of energy.

He had relapsed and Naruto had paid the price.

The thing that made matters worse, was that he had no control over the action and Sasuke’s words echoed in him mind. He shook his head; he wasn’t going to think about his brother right now; Sasuke was the least of his worries. Itachi tilted his head back to rest against the bed and shifted his body to a more comfortable position on the bed. He wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, not after what happened; the only thing he could do was wait until morning and see how Naruto was doing.

And with that in mind, he sat through the night as guilt racked through his mind.

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Itachi stared out the window in Kakashi’s office while he waited for the doctor to show up. His body was tense and he was fighting off the effects of staying awake for the entire night. The threat of falling back asleep was real and even with the doctors watching him; he was hesitant to fall asleep. All the possible what if’s ran rampant through his mind and he wanted nothing more than to know that Naruto was fine.

Gaara had left to go visit the blond and he hadn’t seen the younger male since nor had he heard any information on Naruto. Kakashi had cleared his morning schedule so they had time to discuss what happened and he had been in the doctors’ office since breakfast. The waiting annoyed him slightly; he wasn’t always patient, especially when he wanted something.

And right now, he wanted news on Naruto.

The door opened and Kakashi walked in. Fatigue showed on his features as he moved around the desk and sat in his chair, running a hand over his face.

“He’s fine, if that’s what you want to know. There were no broken bones and his larynx wasn’t damaged thankfully, but his voice will be weak for a while. The large amount of coughing has made his throat sensitive, but that’s to be expected and he’ll have some bruises of course.”

Kakashi looked down at the folder, “You’ll be placed under watch for the next week and depending on how you react, the time can be lengthened.”

Itachi nodded, “I understand.”

“Very well, let’s get started. I want you to tell me what you did yesterday with Naruto and what you remembered from your sleepwalking. I’ll see if we can find a similar link between the two nights.”

Itachi blinked, “I don’t remember anything from the night; it’s all blurred and seems like a bad dream I can’t recall. The only thing I remember was waking up after I hit my head on the floor and Naruto was on my chest. Even some of those details are fuzzy.” He shifted slightly in his seat, “However, concerning the afternoon, we didn’t do much yesterday. We had lunch and went to a bookstore, that’s it; it was relaxing and I don’t believe that’s what triggered the relapse.”

“Anything else?” Kakashi asked, “Something perhaps stressed you out during the day or right before you went to bed?”

“Sasuke was here.” He said

The doctor paused in his writing, “Your brother, that’s right; he riled Naruto up pretty well. Perhaps Naruto punching him had something to do with the relapse.”

Itachi shook his head, “Sasuke deserved that and I don’t hold Naruto accountable for that. If anything, it was Sasuke’s behavior that had me upset the most.” He hesitated, “but that still doesn’t explain why I attacked Naruto.”

“Your disorder is a rare case and it’s hard to say why you attacked him. The case studies that have been documented mentioned that the victim was dreaming during the time of the act and was often fighting whatever it was they were dreaming about. Maybe you thought Naruto was Sasuke, or perhaps you were trying to punish Naruto for harming your younger brother.”

Itachi’s eyes narrowed and his voice was cold when he answered, “I wouldn’t want to harm my younger brother, even if his actions were out of hand. And I wouldn’t even think about injuring Naruto.”

Kakashi held up a hand, “I’m sorry, that was wrong of me to suggest it. However, I have to look at this from all sides.” He set down the folder and sucked in a breath, “I’m only going to propose this as a theory and it’s very much so in the works. In your first act, you mentioned that you were upset with your father over his choice for Sasuke, and during that night, you still went after Sasuke. Last night, you were upset with Sasuke and went after Naruto.”

“The fact that you went after Sasuke when you were mad at your father and now Naruto when you were mad at Sasuke, shows that you were thinking about them. It is understandable in your brothers’ case, as Sasuke is your younger brother and you two are…somewhat close. But Naruto is fairly new to you since you’ve only been here for about a month; give or take.”

A frown appeared on Itachi’s face, “What are you suggesting?”

Kakashi didn’t answer for a while, almost as if he was weighing the thought himself. And when he did finally speak, the words were slow and full of thought, “I believe, and this is just a theory; that the stress that causes these actions revolve around Sasuke. In both cases, Sasuke has been the common factor; if he’s stressing you out, whether through his actions or your concern, then you fall asleep with that in mind.”

“And this has to deal with Naruto how?” Itachi asked.

“Despite the fact that you were upset with Sasuke, your mind was on Naruto; this could have led you to his room last night. You may have some strong feelings for him that you aren’t aware of yet and seeing your brother assault him could have triggered the act.” Kakashi looked at Itachi and laced his fingers together, “Do you care for Naruto, Itachi?”

Itachi was silent and Kakashi studied his face. It was carefully guarded and no emotions flickered in his dark eyes; it was a self defense mechanism to keep him out and everything else in. He wasn’t going to get any more answers out of Itachi today and or any in the future, if he asked the question again. Some subjects were always touchy and he had realized that he had crossed Itachi’s comfort zone in asking about the relationship between him and the blond.

From what he had heard from Itachi in his previous sessions, he rarely was close with others; especially after the incident. In his mind, if he pushed them away, he couldn’t hurt them, yet Naruto had somehow squirmed past Itachi’s defensives. Now Naruto was hurt and was paying the price for it.

“We’re done for the day Itachi. Tsunade and I will discuss what we’ll do next and inform you when we reach our conclusion.” He looked at the raven that had yet to relax his body ever since the asked question, “Naruto will be in the medical hall for the rest of the day, he should be released tomorrow and you can see him then. Until then, I suggest that you relax and try to get some sleep; you look like your about to pass out.”

Itachi didn’t answer but instead stood up from the chair and swept out of the room. The shutting door was loud in the silent room and Kakashi stared at door before looking down at the papers that littered his desk. His eyebrows furrowed in thought as he pushed through the papers, scowling at what he had written down; there wasn’t much to go off and if he wanted to reach a conclusion, he needed more information.

He pushed away from the desk and turned to face the window, frowning lightly. He couldn’t do anything right now to assist Itachi, he could only sit back and watch things as they unfolded and act when it was needed.

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“Make sure you take it easy for the next few days. Don’t eat anything too hot or cold and try to eat soft foods, they’ll be better for your throat.”

Naruto scowled at Tsunade, “Are you telling me that I should only eat soup?”

“That would be beneficial, but you’ll be fine with small quantities of ice cream if you crave sugar.” She answered. “Try not to strain your throat too much and you’ll heal faster.”

The blond grinned, “Bah, you know me, I’m a fast healer.”

She ruffled his hair and smiled when he batted her hand away, “Just take it easy and we’ll have a meeting in a few days.”

Naruto nodded and walked down the hallway. He was glad that he was finally leaving the medical wing; it smelt much more sterile than the other wings and it was very lonely. Even though Gaara had stopped by to visit him, the redhead could only stay for a short time before he had to leave. This meant that Naruto was by himself for the entire day with nothing to do or anyone to talk to. His body hurt slightly due to the stress from the coughing fit but it only ached every now and then but the doctors still wouldn’t let him leave yesterday. It had taken a great deal of pleading to let him leave today.

He continued walking down the hall and towards his room so he could pick up his notebook. Staring at the ceiling for hours on end was boring and he had been inspired during that time. When he entered his room, he was shocked to find it clean and he looked at Gaara who was sitting on a bed.

“I was bored.”

A smile stretched across Naruto’s face, “Glad to see you were productive while I was away.” He spun around, “I can see the floor now! Maybe we should keep it this way.”

Gaara grunted, “Come on, I want to get online and you’re the only one with the library key.”

“Nice to know I’m appreciated.” Naruto answered as he grabbed his notebook. They moved down the corridor and Naruto glanced at Gaara, “How’s Itachi doing?”

“I think the question should be; how are you doing?” Gaara stated, “You had passed out before they placed you on the stretcher.”

Naruto was silent as they continued down the hall and when they reached the doors to the library, he paused. “I’m fine.”

His roommate stared at him, trying to gauge his response. Blue eyes shown brightly still, despite the bandaging around his neck from where Itachi’s nails had broken the skin and his voice sounded steady. Overall, Naruto seemed perfectly fine and had come out on top of the incident, but Gaara had one small concern. Naruto might be able to act brave now, but what happened when he had to face Itachi again?

Despite Itachi’s condition that had him here, he had almost choked Naruto to death. The blond was quick to forgive and hard to anger, but Gaara had doubts that he could easily overlook the incident without some fear creeping into his mind. There was no doubt that Naruto would be jumpy around the Uchiha, and possibly be scared of him.

The doors were pushed open and Naruto clicked the lights on before taking his place behind the desk. He watched as Gaara turned on the computers and he settled into a chair, ready for another quiet day. Tsunade told him to relax and take it easy, and he couldn’t think of a better way than spending it reading. It didn’t take him long to relax in the chair and immerse himself in his notebook.

“Naruto.”

The voice was soft but his ears could easily recognize it and he felt his body tense slightly. Unbidden, the events from the past nights surfaced in his mind; the dark soulless eyes, the heavy pressure on his neck and the emotionless face. He could hear his heartbeat racing in his ear and it was getting harder to breathe as he gripped the edges of his notebook a little tighter. His eyes squeezed shut and he forced his breathing to calm down as he pushed the memories away before he turned to face the voice.

“Hey Itachi.” He whispered hoarsely

The raven was on the other side of the counter giving him plenty of space and his heart calmed down considerably; Itachi wasn’t the person he was nights ago. His face was guarded carefully but he could see the tense shoulders and he knew that Itachi was on edge as well.

Itachi stared at Naruto carefully, knowing that he needed to keep his distance, lest the blond had a panic attack. He had already seen the beginnings of one when he first called his name, but Naruto had seemed to quell the attack. His hands were in his pockets and he shifted slowly so he didn’t startle Naruto; the last thing he wanted was for Naruto to completely push him away. The thought dug deeply into him and made him ache.

Itachi shook his head, “Naruto, how are you really?

“I’m fine Itachi. They said that the coughing was from something called air hunger.” Naruto stated, “Where the body triggers reactions to restore breathing.”

“What about emotionally?” He asked, “I understand if you don’t want me to come around anymore, but first just let me say that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Naruto blinked and his head dropped as his eyes darted to the side, “Itachi…”

Itachi nodded, “I understand Naruto.”

The door shut with a soft click and Naruto’s head snapped up when he realized Itachi had left. He pushed himself out of the chair and bolted out of the door, easily locating Itachi walking down the hallway. He collided with Itachi’s back and his arms wrapped around his waist, “Wait, please.”

The Uchiha’s body froze and he felt Naruto release his grip but his forehead remained pressed between his shoulder blades, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to take it that way. I’ll admit it, I was scared when I saw you again, and I couldn’t stop the memories from coming back. And I was scared when I first woke up, but I knew what was going on and that you weren’t trying to hurt me on purpose. But I don’t want you to go away.”

Itachi turned around and gently raised his hand to cup Naruto’s cheek. “Naruto, I could have…”

“But you didn’t, and I have no right to hate you for something that you can’t control. You didn’t leave me after my relapse with you, and I’m not leaving you after yours.” He raised his hand and let it rest on Itachi’s, “Please don’t push me away.”

Dark eyes darted down towards the white wrap that circled around Naruto’s neck and Itachi knew what they hid. He dropped his hand to the side and shook his head, “I can’t; next time might not turn out this way and you might not be as lucky. I don’t want you hurt again.”

“You won’t.” Naruto stated stubbornly, “You’re much stronger than me, you could have easily done much worse, but you didn’t. I think that something was holding you back, and that’s why I know you won’t hurt me.”

Itachi scowled, “You’re too trusting and it’s going to get you in trouble in the future.”

A smirk stretched across Naruto’s face, “Then you’ll need to be there to keep me out of trouble.” He coughed slightly before continuing in a softer tone, “That’s why you can’t push me away.”

Itachi was silent as he watched Naruto carefully and he let out a sigh, “If you keep talking you’re going to make it harder for your throat to recover.” Naruto cocked his head at him, “Let’s go get you something warm.”

Naruto grinned after Itachi turned around and started to walk towards the cafeteria. Even though the Uchiha wouldn’t say it, he knew that this was his way of saying that he wouldn’t push him away and it made him happy. He bounded after the raven and tugged on his shirtsleeve, “How about some ice cream instead.”

“No, you’re hyper enough without the added sugar; I can only imagine you with sugar in your system.”

“Did you just make a joke?” Naruto asked, “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Hush.” Itachi said as he pushed Naruto through the doors.

In the end, Naruto was allowed to have a small bowl of ice cream after he finished his soup, but Itachi will deny that he ever gave it to the blond.

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kinkou - Congrats on guessing this chapter, your review made me laugh since it sounded almost like the summary I wrote down when I first plotted this story out.

ItaNarulover - Meh, you should see me when I get hyped up on sugar, or when a good story finally updates, good thing I don't have a roommate. xD.

disembodiedvoiceofthedying - I agree, Itachi and Naruto are cute together, I love them and there aren't enough fic's out there for the pairing. *grumbles*